Philosophy

Why is it we sometimes find ourselves repeating the same behaviour, even when we know that it isn't doing us any good?

How do these patterns come about? We might even hear ourselves asking: 'Why has this disastrous situation happened to me? What did I do to deserve it?' When we ask ourselves questions like this, the Buddhist principle of karma can help us understand what we can do to break out of the repetitive patterns that might cause ourselves and others suffering.

In this article I will look at the question of karma which is a principle at the heart of Buddhism but which can easily be misunderstood. Originally the Sanskri word 'karma' (or 'karman') meant 'action' or 'act'. In time, it came to imply deeds or results. It is important to recognise that karma can be both positive and negative, and it is certainly good karma to have been born a human being. Most often, however, people are more likely to think about karma in a negative way. When this expression is misused it can take on the appearance of referring to some fixed 'fate' or 'destiny¹ which is absolutely not what it is about in Nichiren Buddhism. Rather than being the judgement of some external force, Nichren Buddhism clarifies the importance of an individual's free will. If we are responsible for creating our personal karma, then we are also able to change it. It is of course important to recognise that everyone's karma is different.

The subject of karma has intrigued generations of Buddhists of many traditions, and it is important to look at how Nichiren Buddhism explains that we can change aspects of our karma which cause us and other people to suffer, and create the best kind of karma that will bring us and the world around us happiness and joy.

Although we are talking here about causes and effects, it is important to distinguish between the general and impersonal principles of cause and effect or dependent origination (also web of inter-connectedness), compared with the effects caused by the conscious will of an individual. Karmic actions are intended actions. They affect not only the individuals who are their target, but also impact the person who made them.

Buddhism teaches that we humans create karma through making causes with our thoughts, words and deeds. Karma is not therefore created by the causes and effects at work in, for instance, the movement of the plates which form the surface of planet Earth - there is no conscious will in such movements, so rather than being caused by karma we should see these phenomena as what they are: natural events that affect the environment. Earthquakes and other phenomena arising out of such movements clearly affect individuals in their vicinity, and the reaction of those individuals to those events is of course dependent on the individual's personal karma, but when discussing karma it is a mistake to confuse impersonal causes with ones that are consciously willed.

Why do things happen to us? Taking illness as an example, Nichiren Daishonin writes that while there are six different causes of illness, only one of those causes is our karma.¹ While the other five reasons may require more explanation than can be given here, the Daishonin makes it clear that the important aspect is our reaction to the situation rather than worrying about its causes. In other words, rather than asking 'Why did this happen to me?' it is far better to have the attitude: 'This has happened to me, so what am I going to do about it?'

The idea that a cause leads to an effect, in an almost mechanical way, is considered to be the 'general law of cause and effect'. Nichiren Daishonin refers to this way of thinking about karma with these examples: 'One who climbs a high mountain must eventually descend. One who slights another will in turn be despised' and so on.² Looking at things from this perspective, if every cause leads to an effect, we can naturally think that for our karma to change we must wait for the effect of each cause to be expiated one at a time. And as we don't know - and can't know - what causes we made in previous lifetimes, this can be a worrying and lengthy process! This is likely to just make us feel powerless. We simply do not know what causes we made in the past, and in one of his letters,³ the Daishonin says that 'It is impossible to fathom one's karma.' Transforming our negative karma so that we can reveal our Buddhahood would be impossible if we have to wait for each effect to become manifest.

Fortunately, Nichiren Buddhism explains a 'greater causality' which clarifies that not only do we continuously create karma, but that we can lighten, transform and expiate it. This greater causality refers back to the idea of the nine consciousnesses. You will recall that 'beneath' the eighth consciousness (the alaya consciousness, or karmic storehouse) lies the ninth, which is the source of our Buddhahood, or the cleansing and purifying energy of our Buddha nature. When we stimulate and activate our Buddhahood it flushes through the other layers, not just showing us the karmic tendencies which cause us and other people to suffer, but eclipsing the effects of that karma with the power of its life-force. Daisaku Ikeda explains this:

Negative karma is subsumed in the world of Buddhahood and is purified by its power. To use an analogy, the emergence of the world of Buddhahood is like the rising of the sun. When the sun dawns in the east, the stars that had shone so vividly in the night sky immediately fade into seeming non-existence ...if they disappeared, it would go against the principle of causality. But just as the light of the stars and the moon seems to vanish when the sun rises, when we bring forth the state of Buddhahood in our lives we cease to suffer negative effects for each individual past negative cause committed. In other words, this does not deny or contradict general causality. General causality remains an underlying premise of Buddhism. But it is subsumed by what might be termed a 'greater causality'. This greater causality is the causality of attaining Buddhahood. It is the causality of the Lotus Sutra and the Mystic Law.⁴

Although Buddhism explains that we create karmic tendencies in our lives by the layering of similar causes in similar circumstances, it is just not possible to look back into our past and 'fathom' what it was that we did. Fortunately, however, we don't need to know the details of every cause we ever made in order to change our karma. The power and force of our inherent Buddhahood is greater and stronger than the karma we created in the past. This is why when we tap our Buddha nature deep in the ninth consciousness, it will purify the other layers of consciousness.

Still it is a fact that the process of changing those tendencies in our lives can be a painful one as we start it. Nichiren Daishonin uses powerful language to describe the process: 'Iron, when heated in the flames and pounded, becomes a fine sword.'⁵ But the process of changing our karma is not merely to eradicate the negative from our lives. Daisaku Ikeda explains:

We don't focus on our karma merely so that we may repay our 'karmic debt' and bring our 'balance' to zero. Rather it is to convert our 'negative balance' into a large 'positive balance'. This is the principle of changing karma in Nichiren Buddhism. And it is the Buddha nature existing in the lives of all people that makes this possible. Our focus on changing karma is backed by our steadfast belief in our own Buddha nature.⁶

Our challenge then is not to think of our karma as something that will hold us back. Rather we should use it as a springboard for a happy future. Whatever our personal karmic tendencies, they will become fuel for our faith, practice and study and enable us to reveal our Buddhahood. Whatever situations we may have suffered in the past, when we have transformed our suffering the transformation will become a great inspiration for others who are suffering in the same way. This is how we can transform our karma into the mission for the happiness of others. We start to consider that we actually created the current situation in order to be able to show the power of Buddhism to transform it. This attitude expresses the principle known as 'voluntarily assuming the appropriate karma'. Daisaku Ikeda sums up the process in this way:

When we pray to the Gohonzon, change arises from the depths of our being. Strong, pure vitality wells forth in abundance. The iron chains of destiny are cut, and our original identity, the fresh and robust world of Buddhahood, appears. Carrying out our human revolution means always living with exactly such new vitality.⁷

Whatever our karma, the message we are given in Nichiren Buddhism is that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the new cause which enables us to lessen and change the karma we have created in the past. Our prayers for the happiness of ourselves and others, transforming the world around us into a place of harmony, dignity and respect, are the best cause for our future karma and our future happiness.

1. The six causes of illness are: (1) disharmony of the four elements, (2) improper
   eating or drinking, (3) inappropriate practice of seated meditation, (4) attack
   by demons, (5) the work of devils, and (6) the effects of karma - taken from 'On
   Curing Karmic Disease' (WND-1, p. 631).
2. Nichiren Daishonin, 'Letter from Sado' (WND-1, p. 305).
3. Ibid, p. 303.
4. Daisaku Ikeda, et al, The World of Nichiren Daishonin's Writings (Soka Gakkai
   Malaysia, 2004) Vol 3, p. 62.
5. Nichiren Daishonin,'Letter from Sado' (WND-1, p. 303).
6. Daisaku Ikeda, et al, The World of Nichiren Daishon/n's Writings (Soka Gakkai
   Malaysia, 2004) Vol 3, p. 57.
7. Daisaku Ikeda, The Heart of the Lotus Sutra (World Tribune Press, 2013) p. 323.

We all know how our mood can be affected when we have an illness or a physical complaint. Our overall health depends on both our physical and mental well-being.

The principle of 'the oneness of body and mind' is a translation of the Japanese expression 'shikishin funi' which could also be expressed as 'our bodies and our minds appear to be two different things, but at their source are one'. Naturally we will wonder how physical, material things like our bodies can be no different to the mental and spiritual aspects of our lives, but when our bodies are ill our general mood or state of life can be low, and when we feel stressed that can in turn impact on our bodies.

At this point it is useful to introduce a principle called 'the three truths' which looks at some ideas which underpin the philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism.

The first truth (Jp. ke) is that everything, every phenomenon, goes through a cycle of being created, growing and developing, maturing, then declining before reaching the end of their useful life. In short, this truth confirms that phenomena only exist temporarily. This is particularly relevant to our physical attributes, our bodies, and it also applies to other phenomena we can perceive with our senses. In terms of the phases of the rhythm of life, this truth refers to the phase when we are alive and have a physical body.

The second truth (Jp. ku) seems to contradict this idea of temporary existence by telling us that there is an essential aspect to the changing processes of life. For example, before phenomena are physically created, and after they reach the end of their existence, their essential nature exists in the universe. This truth reminds us that from the Buddhist perspective we are not just flesh and bones, biological cells and chemical elements, but we also have spiritual energy, which we become aware of through our thoughts and our life-. In terms of the phases of the rhythm of life, this truth refers to the latent phases before we are conceived, and after we have passed away.
So, on one hand, Buddhism explains that everything is temporary, and at the same time we are told that some sort of energy exists before something physical comes into being.

When I think about what has happened to my own body, I know that I don't look much like I did when I was five, or fifteen, or indeed, sadly, twenty-five. My body's cells have been busy replacing themselves, and although I know that the boy in the photograph is me, a lot of changes have taken place over the years. Broadly though, despite the changes in my body, I am still me. Yet, the cells in my body are made of chemical elements, each of which consists of atoms which are also in constant flux, having in their own chemical way been vibrating and demonstrating change. To what extent am I the same collection of elements I was when I was a boy?

Something, however, has kept me together. The thing that is consistently me, the aspect of life that ensures I am a continuation of the person that I was ten, twenty, thirty, forty years ago; what is that?

The third truth (Jp. chu), links the ideas of the first two truths together, and says that there is something in life which ensures consistency between each of these two phases. This is described in Nichiren Buddhism as the Middle Way.

The idea of the Middle Way had originally developed when Shakyamuni Buddha saw that neither a life of hedonistic worldly pleasures, nor a life of purely spiritual pursuits could bring genuine happiness. He realised that the true nature of life was something else that transcended both these physical and spiritual pursuits. As Buddhism developed, the expression 'The Middle Way' was used to describe the continuity in the unfolding rhythm of life: out of latency, a physical being emerges (which then grows, matures, then declines and dies) before returning to latency again. Then, when the conditions are right, the energy manifests as another physical being and so on.

So while we are shown that there are both physical and non-substantial aspects to our lives, we also realise that we cannot ignore either of them. Instead Nichiren Daishonin showed us that we can harmonise and energise both the physical and spiritual aspects by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo which is the expression of this Middle Way, this binding, consistent aspect of life which wants life to manifest its greatest potential, and create the most value. By chanting we draw out the universal energy that permeates not only our own lives, but also all phenomena, and that is the expression of the eternity of life both through life and death.

If we take the example of a coin which includes both the head side, and also the tail side. They are not separable. Even if you could divide a coin into two with the head in one hand and the tail in the other, what you would be left with would no longer be what it started out as: a coin. It would be useless in a shop or a bank. It is much better to keep the coin whole and useful. We could say that the idea of 'being a coin¹ permeates the whole object, both heads and tails. Similarly, Buddhism looks at 'life' and explains that while the physical aspect of life and the non-physical aspect of life appear to be two very different sorts of thing, actually each is one of the aspects of what life is and does. The Middle Way is an expression of the third truth, that life has an aspect of temporary existence while it emerges in a physical body, as well as an aspect of emerging and returning to latency but life alternates from one state to the other in an eternal cycle.

So what does this all mean for us?

Biologists will say that human life starts with conception and with regard to our physical bodies they are on the mark. The Buddhist view is that before conception the non-physical energy of my life was waiting, latent in the universe, until the right causes and conditions arose. At some point in the future when my body is no longer able to function, that will be the end of this temporary existence, but the non-physical will continue on, merging with the energy of the universe, returning to latency.

So if my body and my mind are both expressions of the Law of the universe (described as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo), when there is disharmony somewhere in my life this will become apparent in either my physical health and well-being or my spiritual life-condition. If I want to re-establish harmony, the best starting point is to stimulate the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the Buddha nature, in my life. Of course, Buddhism recognises the value of appropriate medical procedures and treatments (we should absolutely not think that chanting alone will be sufficient). By fusing with the universal law which harmonises both the physical and non-physical aspects of life we will develop the wisdom to know what action to take, as well as draw great protection out of the environment, in the shape of the right medical practitioners with the best knowledge of our condition and the best treatments.

Now we can come back to the oneness of body and mind, or in Japanese shikishin funi. Shiki refers to all matter and physical phenomena, including the human body. Shin refers to all spiritual, unseen phenomena, including reason, emotion and volition. Funi literally means 'two but not two'.

It is because both body and mind are each expressions of the Middle Way, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, that body and mind are one. Our bodies are the physical manifestation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and our minds and spirits are the non-physical manifestation of the same law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

If my body is unhealthy, my life-state is at risk of being affected by that condition. For instance, it can be depressing to be physically incapacitated or incredibly frightening and stressful to deal with a potentially life-threatening illness. Alongside working with doctors to find the best medical solution to our physical ailments, we can also positively affect the situation through tackling our own attitude towards the problem we are facing. I believe that the best thing for both my body and my mind, therefore, is to raise my life-condition and reveal the best possible state: Buddhahood, which I do through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

It is becoming increasingly acknowledged that our mind can have a powerful effect on our body. For example, if my mind is affected, perhaps by the stress of twenty-first century life, this can result in physical symptoms (some common examples are the so-called psychosomatic conditions like eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart disease). While seeking the best and most appropriate medical attention, practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism also use their faith, practice and study to alleviate the stress, and thereby also make a great cause for reducing and transforming the physical condition.

Many members of SGI have experienced improvements in the areas of health and their physical condition through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I met the practice of Buddhism when I was recovering from a broken leg after a motorbike accident. I did not have an instantaneous miracle cure when I started to chant, but I quickly developed a healing mental attitude, which in turn helped the process of physical recovery. Understanding this connection between body and mind has been very useful on other occasions when one or other aspect is feeling tired or out of rhythm.

So if we wish to be truly happy, while we may follow Juvenal's injunction to the youth of Rome to acquire a sound mind in a healthy body¹, as Nichiren Buddhists we know the cause that ensures that both our bodies and our minds are in harmony with the rhythm of life itself. With Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we can be happy in both body and mind. •

1   'Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano', Juvenal's Satire X

How does Buddhism teach us that we should view a human being? What lies at the heart of each of us?

There is a marked difference between the approach taken between some faiths which have as their starting point ideas such as 'original sin' compared with the approach in Nichiren Buddhism that each person is worthy of profound respect. The principle we will explore in this article known as the 'nine consciousnesses' helps us to deepen our understanding of the Buddhist point of view. In one of his writings, Nichiren Daishonin describes our bodies as 'the palace of the ninth consciousness'¹ and this positive view of the value and worth of a human being confirms the dignity that is inherent in all life. This principle also explains how our Buddhist practice can draw out our inherent potential and positively affect the way we engage with life.

This principle of the nine consciousnesses starts by looking at the way our bodies respond to the world around us, and then considers mental and spiritual processes which explain our behaviour. Fundamentally, however, it tells us that our lives are essentially good, wholesome and pure.

The first five consciousnesses are our senses. Each of these senses is part of our physical bodies and is a gateway for data that will be useful for us to know about the outside world. We have five sense organs which take in information from the environment around us and which inform us of what is happening at the present moment. What we see, hear, smell, taste and touch are signals which help us to understand what is happening around us, and whether we are safe or in danger, or near or far from things that will sustain our lives. These are not things unique to human beings; we share these senses with many other forms of life. These senses are functions which have developed in animals as we have evolved and which now enable us to see our place in the world. At a very basic level each one is an important factor for survival.

Take a moment to look up; what can you see around you right now? How many different colours? Which are bright and which are dull? What can you hear? How is the temperature where you are reading this? Too hot or too cold, or just right? What, if anything, can you smell or taste? Each of those senses is working all the time bringing in information which may be useful for our lives. Of course the senses and their sense organs can be vulnerable and it is not unusual for one reason or another for someone not to have the full set.

The sixth consciousness is the part of our minds which draws all the information from the individual senses and enables us to create a composite picture of where we are. It enables us to make judgements about the various things that we perceive, so that we are attracted to some things and
reject others. Can we, though, trust our perception of the world
around us? To what extent is our view of the world coloured by previous experience or our imagination?

Next, there is the seventh consciousness which is concerned with our own personal identity. It deals less with the external, material world and is more concerned with the inner, spiritual realm. It is where the ego resides and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. It is where ideas such as the suggestion that we are separate and isolated and not connected to other people originate (and anyway Buddhism tells us that this sort of way of thinking is deluded). It is the seventh consciousness which is afraid of death and dying, as it thinks that the end of this particular physical existence is the end of who we are.

Then there is the eighth consciousness which is sometimes called the alaya consciousness, or karmic storehouse. The subject of karma is a complicated topic, but at the heart of it is the idea that in every moment we are making causes in thought, word and deed. The word 'karma' literally means 'action' in Sanskrit. Many of those causes will result in effects quite soon after the cause has been made, but sometimes the effect is not immediate. The energy of a cause whose effect is not yet apparent is stored in this eighth consciousness. Perhaps we can think of this as the cause leaving an imprint somewhere in our lives. When the appropriate circumstances arise, the effect will become manifest. It is important to remember that karma consists of positive as well as negative causes, but it is absolutely not the same as 'destiny' or 'fate'. The fact that this layer of consciousness is often described as a 'storehouse' can give the mistaken impression that one's karma is pretty static. That is not the case at all. It is better to think of the eighth consciousness as something that is constantly flowing, an enduring river of life energy. While effects may be emerging in our lives, we are continually making new causes which affect the flow of karmic energy. How one's life is depends on the nature of our karma at any particular time. The wonderful thing about the concept of karma (as opposed to the fixed idea of destiny or fate) is that if we are experiencing unhappy karma, by making positive causes we can change the flow of our lives for the better.

Deeper than the eighth consciousness is the ninth consciousness which is known as amala or pure. This is the core of our lives and there is nothing deeper or below it. It is fundamentally pure and is not affected by the torrent of karma swirling above it. It is the Buddha nature at one with the life of the universe and it is what is stimulated when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. As we chant we draw on the power of this consciousness and are able to purify the other layers of consciousness. With our Buddha eyes, we see the tendencies which have accumulated in the eighth consciousness and if they are negative we are able to change them. The energy of our life, whether the karma is good or bad, becomes able to create value. In turn all our senses are affected as we perceive the world less from the perspective of our previous tendencies and more with the Buddha's eyes, ears and other senses.

As I mentioned above, Nichiren Daishonin referred to the body as 'the palace of the ninth consciousness'. He also mentions that: 'Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is what is meant by entering the palace of oneself.'2 As we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we stimulate and activate our Buddha nature, the ninth consciousness. 

This principle helps me to understand what is happening while I am chanting. One question I had early in my Buddhist practice was: 'What do I do with my mind when I am chanting? It seems to be full of thoughts, some of which are useful and interesting, but many of which are not!' Nichiren Daishonin explains: 'The Buddha wrote that one should become the master of one's mind rather than let one's mind master oneself.'³ This means that we can either be at the mercy of the constant chatter of our thoughts or we can train the mind to listen to the Buddha inside us. If I am chanting and letting my thoughts race around at the same time, the flow of energy from the ninth consciousness is being interfered with by the noise from the seventh consciousness. I think of the layers of consciousness like a fountain.

The ninth, Buddha, consciousness is like the reservoir of pure water deep underground, and starting to chant is like turning the tap to bring that water up through the other layers to purify the way we view the world. The senses are like the spouts on the surface through which the water of the Buddha life-force will, if the pipes are clear, spray. Strategising, or thinking unnecessarily, blocks the flow. Just listening to the sound of my voice chanting, however, with an idea of how I would like things to be different allows the energy from the ninth consciousness to flush through the entire system, purifying as it flows.

Nichiren Daishonin, in 'Letter to Gijo-bo', where he also mentions mastering our minds, refers to a line from The Lotus Sutra which we recite twice a day.⁴ He says: The verse section of the chapter states, "...single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha, not hesitating even if it costs them their lives". As a result of this passage, I have revealed the Buddhahood in my own life.'⁵ This is where Nichiren Daishonin urges us to be 'single-minded' rather than 'multi-minded'. He goes on to say: '"Single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha" may be read as follows: single-mindedly observing the Buddha, concentrating one's mind on seeing the Buddha, and when looking at one's own mind, perceiving that it is the Buddha.'⁶

As the phrase Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the cause for us to activate our Buddha nature, if we can concentrate on that phrase, and hear the sound of it in our minds, then we are listening, not only to our own voices, but to the sound of our own Buddha nature. Although this passage may seem challenging, it is great guidance from Nichiren Daishonin on how to approach chanting and accelerate the emergence of our greater self.

The challenge is always the distractions from our thinking mind. All our education has pointed to developing this part of our brain, and when we chant we are asking it to suspend its activity - naturally it finds that difficult! I sometimes think of my seventh consciousness mind like a puppy, skipping around to attract my attention. While I am chanting, however, I would rather listen to my Buddha mind. Having said all this, it is important to say that there is not just one rigid way to chant, but this might provide some useful food for thought.

In conclusion then, how should we view ourselves? The Buddha views us as a bundle of energy with the greatest potential at our core. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with confidence in this enables us to realise that as Nichiren Daishonin says, our lives are a palace of the greatest happiness.

1. Nichiren Daishonin, 'The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon' (WND-1, p. 832).
2. Nichiren Daishonin, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (Soka
   Gakkai, 2004) p. 209.
3. Nichiren Daishonin, 'Letter to Gijo-bo' (WND-1, p. 390).
4. From the sixteenth chapter of The Lotus Sutra we recite: 'Isshin yokken butsu,
   fuji shaku shinmyo', which translates into English as 'Single-mindedly desiring
   to see the Buddha, not hesitating even if it costs them their lives.This has also
   been rendered as 'Single-mindedly yearning to see the Buddha, they do not
   begrudge their lives.'
5. Nichiren Daishonin, 'Letter to Gijo-bo' (WND-1, p. 389).
6. Ibid, pp. 389-390

I was talking recently with a couple about the problems they had been having with their noisy neighbours.

There was often loud music late at night, disturbed sleep and no apology. They had repeatedly tried every diplomatic approach to try and get them to turn the music down, but their polite attempts had just seemed fruitless. No matter how reasonable they had been, the situation had gone from bad to worse. At the start of our conversation they expressed that it seemed that the situation would only resolve if they resorted to legal remedies, or, one of them half humorously suggested, by resorting to retaliation and violence! I asked why they thought they had found themselves in this situation. Naturally they blamed the neighbours and their unreasonable behaviour. At first glance, that did seem to be the issue, but I mentioned that Buddhism teaches the importance of taking personal responsibility for situations, and that we can't point the finger at someone else (anyway, if we do, we find three fingers pointing back!). One of them said that it couldn't be their fault that the neighbours were playing loud music late into the night. I said, No, it isn't your fault, but it is happening in your environment.

In one of Nichiren Daishonin's letters he talks about the significance of where a Buddhist practitioner lives. Describing his home in the mountains in a place called Minobu, he says that although it was a remote, mountainous spot, because he, a votary of the Lotus Sutra, lives there, it must be as sacred as where Shakyamuni Buddha lived. Quoting from a Buddhist text he says: 'Since the Law is wonderful, the person is worthy of respect; since the person is worthy of respect, the land is sacred.'1 I encouraged them: You are both practising Buddhism; you are worthy of respect. If there is disrespect in your environment, rather than looking around the place for an answer, the remedy is to deepen your confidence in your own personal Buddhahood. Before you resort to the legal route, or give up and move home, try the approach of seeing this situation as an opportunity for you to establish unshakeable confidence that you are Buddhas and that your home is the Buddha land. As you do that, either you will automatically get respect from your environment, or you will be more effectively able to demand that respect. The starting point is not to curse the neighbours but to praise and cherish your own Buddhahood. Chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the confidence that you are Buddhas.2 Why not, I suggested, have a campaign of faith, practice and study to deepen your belief in the fact that you are both Buddhas. In another of his writings, Nichiren Daishonin writes:

[A Buddhist teaching] states that, if the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds.³

This quotation teaches us that we are completely responsible for the state of our environment. Our environment is a reflection of what is in our minds, our hearts and our lives. Nichiren Daishonin wrote this at a time when many people were disillusioned with the world they were in, and instead sought a paradise that was far removed from the reality of their daily lives. He taught that such a paradise was unattainable, but we can change the place where we are right now. The most important question for us to ask is 'What is my life-state?' Our life-state not only affects us as individuals, but it also impacts other people and our environment. This applies on a personal level as well as on a macro, global level. In recent decades the debate about environmental and ecological issues affecting our planet has developed. Although not everyone involved in the debate agrees on either the causes or the remedies, it is clear that since the Industrial Revolution, humanity has increased the production of carbon-based greenhouse gases from fossil fuels and now the majority of scientists consider these (together with rampant land deforestation) to be responsible for the increase of sea and air temperatures on planet Earth.⁴

When we first look at this issue we probably see the land or environment as a different and separate thing to the humans who live there. However Buddhism says that while these two phenomena appear to be two different things, in reality they are inseparable. Of course, because human beings will not survive if we are suspended in a vacuum, we need an environment in order to live. We need a place to live, and the environment supports us to live there, providing us with air, water, food as well as a stable place to get on with our lives. The name for this principle of the oneness of the individual and the environment is expressed in Japanese as 'esho funi'. 'e' is short for 'eho', the environment that supports life, and 'sho' is short for 'shoho' the independent life entity, or in other words, the self. Since human life influences and depends on its environment, the two apparently separate entities are in fact inseparable. Although they appear to be two things, on a deep level they are not two. This non-duality is the meaning of 'funi' - which can be translated as 'two things, but not two things'. So our environment and our individual lives are mutually dependent. On a deep level, they are one because the environment and the people living there both emerge out of the source of cosmic life-force.⁵

Nichiren Daishonin explains that the human body is like a body, and the environment is like a shadow. When the body bends, so does the shadow.⁶The environment reflects what we have in our hearts. If we are concerned about the state of the environment, the remedy that we are taught in Buddhism, is to do something about the life-condition of the people living there. Of course, this also means educating people about the effects of our actions, what to do about the pollution that we generate, and learning about things like recycling and tidying up, but fundamentally it is about ensuring that more and more people are in the value-creating life-condition of Buddhahood than before. The more people in our environment base themselves on a deep respect for the dignity of life then, to use the language quoted above, the more sacred the land will become. As we aim for ecological integrity, we will improve not only our own doorsteps but the wider planet. Our personal, micro steps will affect the global, macro situation. SGI President Daisaku Ikeda notes that merely acquiring knowledge about environmental issues is not enough, but it is vital for individuals to tangibly perceive the irreplaceable value of the ecosystem of which we are an integral part and to make a commitment to its protection.⁷

There are a few Buddhist principles which talk of this 'oneness'. While it may be baffling at first, there is great wisdom in the seeming conundrum of 'two, but not two'. We can easily develop a way of thinking which sees separation or difference between ourselves and other phenomena, but when we are encouraged to see the deep, mutually beneficial and spiritual connection between things, we recognise another aspect of how we are linked to other people and our land. When we discussed the principle of 'three thousand realms in a single moment of life', the three realms (the individual, society and the environment) were another expression of the oneness of the individual life and the environment.

Perhaps we can all ask ourselves this question: how is my environment? If the place where we find ourselves is a perfect reflection of our life-condition, and our life-condition is the one thing that we can take responsibility for, then if we are unhappy with our environment, we can change it by changing ourselves. We have already looked at the intricate and complex web of life that connects us (as explained in the principles of 'dependent origination' and 'three thousand realms in a single moment of life'), and as we consider our place in the world it is an opportunity to develop our confidence that the energy of our prayers and determinations to see the Buddha state drawn out of our own lives and in society and our planet will make a positive change.

This principle is also useful when we wonder why our personal determinations do not seem to be resulting in a change. If a person has a determination to fulfil their mission in society in a particular job or role, but no opportunity seems to arise, sometimes it is worth looking at the situation through the lens of the oneness of self and the environment. While on the one hand, a person may be expressing the determination 'I feel that with my personal skills and interests my best contribution to society is to have such and such a job', if at the same time there is a subliminal feeling that 'perhaps there are other people out there who are much more qualified than me' then the strength of the original determination is diminished by the doubt that follows. If we aren't sure about something, then the environment isn't going to be sure either. However, when we express our determinations in a deeply confident way, the environment is confident too and we will find that doors will open to enable us to fulfil whatever it is we need to do. The Buddha expresses his or her prayer in a positive, confident way, and the environment responds; our challenge is to see what we need to do so that we can share the Buddha's confidence.

And what happened to the couple with the noisy neighbours? Positive inner change did lead to external change. As they took responsibility for the situation, and set out on a campaign to deepen their understanding of the dignity of their own lives, they were able to have positive dialogue with their neighbours who in turn changed their behaviour. While we may not all be suffering sleepless nights because of others' disturbance, there are plenty of situations around for us to see the opportunity of applying the principle of the interconnectedness of the self and the environment and so create a happier world.

1. Nichiren Daishonin, Trie Person and the Law' (WND-1, p. 1097).
2. See Nichiren Daishonin, 'On the Treasure Tower' (WND-1, pp. 299-300).
3. Nichiren Daishonin,'On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime'(WND-1, p. 4).
4. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, reportAR4 2007, available online
   at: www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr.pdf.
5. See chapter 2, The Environment', of Arnold JToynbee and Daisaku Ikeda,
   Choose Life: Echoes and Reflections Series (I B Tauris, 2008).
6. In 'On Omens', Nichiren Daishonin writes: The ten directions are the
   'environment,' and living beings are 'life.'To illustrate, environment is like the
   shadow, and life, the body. Without the body, no shadow can exist, and without
   life, no environment. In the same way, life is shaped by its environment.' (WND-1,
   p. 644).
7. A Forum For Peace: Daisaku Ikeda's Proposals to the UN, edited by Olivier
   Urbain (IB Tauris, 2014) p. 244.

We can each ask ourselves: 'What life-condition am I in?'

Perhaps we feel happy, or sad, or neither. Perhaps there is something on our minds, something we hope to obtain, or achieve, something that drives us in a particular direction. Nichiren Buddhism has a very clear way of explaining the different ways that we feel and respond to the world around us. It is a principle often referred to as 'the Ten Worlds'.

Each of the Ten Worlds or life-states are ways that we respond to what is going on in our lives. We have each one of these states latent in our lives, it is just a question of how and when they are stimulated and become manifest.

Let's start with a calm, rational state called 'Tranquillity'. Sometimes it is also called 'Humanity' but I would like to stress its calmness and reasonableness. When we are in this state, things in the world appear to be 'just right'. It's the ideal life-condition to be in on holiday, when we can recharge and recover from the challenges of life. We all need to experience tranquillity, but too much can be a problem, and can lead to laziness. This is also the time to point out that we will see a positive and negative side to most of these worlds and extreme laziness is the negative side of tranquillity.

Imagine you are resting on a sunny afternoon, having a nice, tranquil experience, when the neighbours put on some music which is not only too loud, but of a sort which you would normally avoid. The life-state of tranquillity will probably have been replaced by some kind of annoyance, even perhaps a restrictive feeling of suffering. This could be the world known as 'Hell'. Unlike the hell which some cultures or faiths describe as being underground, this is a very real experience where we feel imprisoned by our circumstances.

Or rather than the neighbour's music, perhaps you receive a pleasant message on your phone - someone you are fond of has told you that they love you and as a result your heart sings! This is likely to be the world of 'Rapture' (also known as 'Heaven'). This might be followed by a desire to see that person, and the yearning is likely to be a manifestation of the world of 'Hunger'. This is not just a condition that is to do with the desire to eat food, but can also be about relationships or other objects and ways that we think we can improve life. There is also a world in which we operate on the level of our more basic animal instincts, and this world, perhaps unsurprisingly, is known as 'Animality'. Perhaps if the noisy neighbours had a reputation for causing trouble our instinctive reaction would be fear that they might react dangerously to any complaint. If instead we feel superior to our neighbours -perhaps because we have a disdainful opinion of their choice of music - then this sounds rather like the world of 'Anger'.

This world is not about being angry, instead it is usually quite a quiet world, but one that is dominated by our small ego and therefore demonstrates arrogance and contempt.

By looking at tranquillity, hell, rapture, hunger, animality and anger, we have briefly considered what are commonly considered the six 'lower' worlds. These are worlds that we experience due to the things that happen in our environment and it is just a question of our personal buttons being pushed.

There are also four 'higher' worlds which require effort for us to experience them. 'Learning' and 'Realisation' are states where we are trying to improve our lives, either by studying the wisdom and experience of others, or through our own insight into life. Then there is the compassionate and altruistic state of 'Bodhisattva¹ in which we make efforts to take away the sufferings of others and to replace it with something more positive. Finally, we have the dynamic and creative world of 'Buddhahood' in our lives, characterised by courage, compassion, wisdom and life-force. This world of Buddhahood is the only one that is purely positive.

Having introduced these ten states, the next thing is to acknowledge that life is much more complicated than humans having just ten ways of operating. A great Chinese Buddhist thinker known as T'ien-t'ai¹ observed that people tend to have one of these worlds as their 'basic' life-condition and that they then experience the world through the 'lens' of that basic world. For example someone who is incredibly laid-back might have 'tranquillity' as their basic condition, and then they will experience rapture, hunger and anger in a tranquil way. Someone else who is fiercely driven by their ego will experience tranquillity, hell and animality through the 'lens' of their anger state. When I first started to read about Buddhist principles, it was this aspect, known as 'the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds' which really grabbed my attention. The implication is that rather than ten, there are a hundred worlds at play in each of us. This principle provides an extremely sophisticated analysis of human psychology, and explains a lot about how we each behave and how different people can react differently to the same situation.

The aim of Buddhist practice is to establish the world of Buddhahood as our fundamental life-condition, and then to experience the other worlds through that state. The Buddha has all of the worlds including anger, hunger and rapture, but they are states that create value rather than being self-centred or destructive.

T'ien-t'ai then demonstrated how these worlds become manifest in our lives, and he applied the principle of the mutual possession through the mechanics of a principle called 'the ten factors' found in the Buddhist teaching known as the Lotus Sutra.² How do we know a person's life-condition? We can usually see it in their face, or in their appearance. We will hear it in their voice and in the things they say. We will see it in the influence of the causes they make, or in the effects of those causes. A person who is motivated by their hunger will behave very differently from someone motivated by altruism (or the world known as Bodhisattva}. A person in tranquillity will react differently to a person in the state of hell. T'ien-t'ai said that when the hundred worlds are applied through the ten factors, there are a thousand factors.

T'ien-t'ai also explained that at each moment this process is happening in each of us as individuals, and also in those people around us and in the place where we live. He described these three aspects of the individual, society and our environment as three distinct yet inter-connected realms. This analysis shows us what the collective life-condition is for a person and the circumstances around them. He concluded his thinking with the name of this principle as 'three thousand realms in a single moment of life'.³

Despite the apparently complicated mathematics required to get to this figure of three thousand realms, the most important aspect of this principle is to ask this question: What is in my heart right now? What life-condition am I in at this moment? Is it hell, hunger or anger? This principle says that there are three thousand possibilities in this moment, and then in the next moment another three thousand possibilities. What life-condition, then, would I like to be in? Would I like to be in the life-condition of Buddhahood? This is the importance of the 'single moment'.⁴

Because it explains the relationship of our own personal life-condition with that of the inter-connected world around us, this principle explains how we are empowered to make a change to what is going on in life.

If I would like to experience life through the condition of Buddhahood, I can. Nichiren Daishonin explained precisely what is necessary for us to experience this. I just need to make the causes in this moment to stimulate the Buddhahood that is in my life. Then as I reveal my Buddhahood, I am in a position to influence the life-condition of people around me, and the place where I live. As I establish Buddhahood as the main life-condition that I experience, endless possibilities emerge. The powerlessness described at the start of this article becomes a thing of the past. The power of the individual changes from being an insignificant aspect in the midst of huge institutions, and through the web of interconnectedness becomes the catalyst for extraordinary change.

The principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life teaches us that the change of life-condition of an individual is a cause for the change of the world itself. I am no longer powerless. I have and can access great power. And that power will have great influence. This principle teaches me that my inner change changes the world. I affect the people around me, as well as the place where I find myself. As I reveal my value-creating potential, and encourage others to reveal their infinite potential too, the world will change.

The world of the early twenty-first century might appear to be in a mess. Conflicts may be continuing pointlessly around the world. But as we view this present situation through the lenses first of dependent origination (also `the web of interconnectedness’), and then three thousand realms in a single moment of life, we can see how the causes and conditions of the lower life-conditions, often called the three poisons of greed, anger and foolishness, have led us to the present time. Then we see that this time is the perfect time for us to be drawing on our infinite inner potential to show the power and influence of enlightened human beings to make a change in the world.

The most important factor as we make this shift from a world where the prevailing mood is one of powerlessness to one where individuals feel empowered to make a valuable contribution to changing the situation is this: the inner determination of the individual. A question for all of us is to ask: Am I determined to challenge myself to transform the three poisons in my own life into the Buddha's courage, compassion, wisdom, dynamism, creativity and life-force? As Daisaku Ikeda writes:

Each human life, together with its environment, is an expression of the fundamental life-force of the entire cosmos. It follows that any change in the inner life-condition of a single human being can, at the deepest level of life itself, exert an influence on other human lives.⁵ •

 

1. Also known as Chih-l (538-597). The founder of the T'ien-t'ai school of
   Buddhism in China.

2. The ten factors (listed in chapter 2 of The Lotus Sutra) are: appearance, nature,
   entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation (or external cause), latent effect,
   manifest effect, and consistency.

3. Jp, ichinen sanzen

4. The word'ichinen'is often heard in the sense of'determination'or'commitment'
   to a goal.

5. Words of Wisdom, Buddhist Inspiration for Daily Living by Daisaku Ikeda,
   www.ikedaquotes.org

This twenty-first century world is an extremely complex place, riddled with contradictions.

A small proportion of people are very rich, and yet many people are struggling to eat or find adequate shelter. Science is finding ways to tackle a greater array of illnesses so more people are living longer, yet the quality of life for many around the globe has not changed. Technology continues to develop smaller and more powerful devices to make things easier for some, yet clean drinking water is not enjoyed everywhere on our planet. Power seems to be in the hands of an elite; yet the ordinary people who have given power to their leaders are mostly ignored. Discrimination, inequality and disrespect have been in the spotlight of our civilisation for generations and yet they remain a problem in many areas, including Europe.

It is not surprising that many people look at the global situation and assume that, as an individual, there is nothing much that can be done about it. Certainly, many think, one person alone would have no impact. It would be a futile waste of breath to complain; it is far better to muddle along and do the best one can to survive. Even a group of people working in solidarity with a shared aim would only make a small noise in the face of large institutions or hostile countries with different agendas. It is not unusual therefore that many people feel that things that affect their lives are decided at a level far too remote for their opinion to be relevant, and that the decision-makers are ultimately looking after their own interests. How did things get to this state?

Buddhism acknowledges this common way of thinking and gives us an explanation as to how this state of being has developed. The theory known as 'dependent origination'¹  (but `web of interconnectedness` is also a good description) explains that everything is connected and interdependent. It tells us that nothing exists in isolation and that everything in the world comes into existence when the causes and surrounding environmental conditions are right. This theory is one of the earliest principles formulated in the history of Buddhism. In its simplest form it is expressed as: 'this is, because that is'. Shakyamuni Buddha was enlightened to the truth that the whole universe is a living, interconnected, entity and that nothing exists separate from the law of life. This principle was taught for his disciples to develop the lesser self, which has a tendency towards egoism and separation, into a greater self, which is fused with the life of the universe.

Let's look at a few simple examples of dependent origination at work and then apply this to the wider world that we live in.

My wife and I recently moved home and have started taking care of a garden which was a wilderness when we moved in. We have dug out piles of roots, rubbish and stones, and have started to feed the soil in the flowerbeds. We have bought compost and seeds and have started to turn sad patches of earth into what we hope will be vibrant patches of colour that will attract bees and butterflies. Each seed in the packet is a wonderful unit of latent potential, of colour, of fragrance and of life. That potential is there, waiting to develop, but needs the right conditions. Each seed that we plant needs various elements to support it as it starts the process of growing into a beautiful flower. There is the earth, the nutrients in the soil, water and the light of the sun. Different parts of the garden might have more nutrients in the soil than other places. To a certain extent there is also the care that we take of these new plants, providing regular attention and remembering to water them. Some plants will get more sun than others; some more water than others. We will also marshal the slugs and snails and hope that the birds won't eat the seeds before they have sprouted. All of these elements are necessary and that is just to make a flower bed. We then need the right amount of sun, rain and wind and with our care we will hopefully have a pleasant garden to enjoy in the summer. Each fragrant flower that grows will be the result of all these various causes and conditions.

As I write this, I am sitting on a chair which someone fashioned out of various materials: mostly it is made of wood and there is a cushioned seat to make it more comfortable. Each of the materials had a journey of its own before it was made into this useful tool to make my life a little easier. The wood came from a tree that needed the same ingredients of sun, water and other conditions as the flower bed. Then someone assessed it, decided it was ready to be used to make furniture from, and arranged for it to be cut down. Someone else, I imagine, then transported the pieces of wood to a factory or workshop, where they were turned into a chair by someone with an idea and the ability to turn it into a reality. Then it went to a shop where it was sold. Here I am sitting on what might seem like a simple item of furniture, although there are years of hidden history. Again this chair is the result of many different causes and conditions.

A human being requires even more sophisticated causes and conditions: including the right nourishment, appropriate shelter, education and development. We are told that no individual is an island, and this is patently true. We were dependent on our parents for our birth, on our families and friends for our nurturing, on society for providing us with food, water, warmth, stimulation, electricity, protection, entertainment and so on. So three examples in brief: a flowerbed, a chair and, well, a human. Each of those three things 'arose' when the causes and conditions were right. Dependent origination is the principle that explains the underlying relationships between all things.

On an even greater scale, Buddhism might suggest that the Big Bang occurred when the causes and conditions were appropriate. The chemical elements that make up our world were forged through a lengthy process which took the birth and extinction of stars before ingredients such as oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus were created. We have all those in our human bodies, and we even have metals like iron, copper and zinc inside us, all created when stars collapsed. It is true that we are all made up of the materials created through the birth, growth and decline of the stars in the sky.

The principle of dependent origination therefore explains how all things are mutually related and dependent on each other, and while each thing maintains its own uniqueness and individual features, they all combine to create a dynamic and harmonious whole.

The global situation too is the result of causes and conditions. Whether the issue is the economic situation with its complicated web of financial relationships and mutual obligations, the current crisis in Crimea, the state of the health" service or the medal table at a sporting event, there is an explanation based on dependent origination (if one wishes to spend the necessary time examining it) for why things have got to be how they are.

Just viewing the world that we live in through the lens of this principle might simply reinforce the feeling of powerlessness. Everything is connected and here I am; what have I done to find myself in this complicated and difficult situation? This passive response is a common one. The examples above concern how things, events or situations have come about. So far we have looked at the phenomena in life, and now we should also consider other aspects, such as our life-condition: why do I feel as I do, and what can be done about it? Buddhism is concerned with the concrete resolution of the problems in life in order to eliminate suffering, so fortunately there is a way to explain how we can use our own latent inner potential to take control of and change the situation we find ourselves in. If we activate our own potential which is uniquely dynamic and holistic then we become empowered to make positive changes to the world around us.

Having seen how the world is and observing the connections between phenomena, our role is to seek to create harmony on a deeper level. This deeper level has as its source the compassion which is able to transcend distinctions between 'me' and 'others'. This is not a denial of me as an individual, but a fusion of my life with the greater, universal life. Our lives become meaningful when we plumb the depths of our lives to bring out our greater qualities and interact with others to encourage them to draw out their own potential. Our actions for the happiness of ourselves and others will then affect the entire world. Nichiren Daishonin wrote: 'If you light a lantern for another, it will also brighten your own way.'¹ It is for this reason that Nichiren Buddhism talks of 'practice for oneself and others'; one cannot be truly happy when others around us are unhappy. Nothing is more joyful than helping someone else discover a new way of living.

Buddhist practice is intended to enable us to reveal our greatest potential. When we do this, there is a new, positive cause that affects everything around us. The deliberate intention to change the cycle of negative and deluded causes sets the whole of life on a new course. Dependent origination explains how things got to be as they are in the present. When we add the causes of the fresh energy of  enlightened wisdom, courage and compassion, together with dynamism, creativity and life-force, the same principle explains how things must change for the better. When we deeply understand how connected we are with other people and the place where we are, it becomes clear that if we hurt others, then we are hurting ourselves. The awareness of how awful things have become is the cause for a great vow to put an end to the sufferings we experience and which others in the world around us also suffer. This approach shows how 'soft power’, based on dialogue, will replace the historically prevalent 'hard power' of previous ages and which resulted in conflict, suffering and war. New, positive and enlightened causes will change the world.

1   Skt pratitya-samutpada, Jp. engi, also sometimes called 'dependent co-arising' and 'interdependent origination'. For simplicity, in explaining this profound view of life, we also use the phrase `web of inter-connectedness`.

2   Translation from: Nichiren Daishonin, Gosho Zenshu, p. 1598.